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Trudeau chops Harper’s chef and grocery stores fudge sell-by dates

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Every week, TVO.org talks Food Chain — snack on these policy, nutrition and food safety nuggets from around the province and beyond.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau clears out cabinet, kitchen

The official chef at 24 Sussex is looking for a new kitchen to call home. Tim Wasylko, executive chef, spent the past five years cooking meals for former prime minister Stephen Harper and his family. Usually it was simple foods — chicken pot pie, meatloaf and the occasional taco night. But during his tenure, at least one situation called for critical work in the kitchen. When Parliament was locked down Oct. 22, 2014, Wasylko cleaned out the fridge, made pots of chili and even ordered 60 pizzas for the locked-in MPs. “Conservatives, Liberals, the NDP. I fed all of Parliament,” he told the Ottawa Sun.

As to why he was let go, Wasylko said “Mrs. Trudeau sacked me.” Apparently the Trudeaus have another chef in mind. The Privy Council Office confirmed the termination but provided no details.

Loblaws, other grocery stores tampering with old food

A CBC Marketplace investigation has found widespread efforts at grocery stores to circumvent best before dates. The program documented cases where employees were told to dress up expired cakes, old meat was ground up with new and mouldy fruits were chopped up for sale. The investigation recorded a former Loblaws employee detailing orders from his manager to top an old cake with fresh toppings to make it seem new. Other grocery industry insiders told CBC stories of old meat marinated or coated in sauce to mask the dated appearance and smell.

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As Canada’s agricultural sector grapples with the execution of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the ratification of the Canada-Europe Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and continuing climate change, a former PEI potato and dairy farmer will lead the file under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Lawrence MacAulay touted his rural roots in an interview with Real Agriculture. The longest-serving MP in Prince Edward Island, MacAulay has represented the riding of Cardigan, PEI since his election in 1988. Under former prime minister Jean Chrétien, he served as secretary of state for veterans and for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, minister of labour and solicitor general.

Ontario woman charged for giving water to pigs

An Ontario woman is fighting mischief charges after providing water to pigs on the way to be slaughtered on a hot June day. The pigs were in the back of a trailer when Anita Krajnc, an animal rights activist, approached and held out her bottle of water. The truck driver told her to stop but she refused. The owner of the pigs — Eric Van Hoekel — complained to police the following day.

“We cannot jeopardize people putting foreign substances into our transport vehicles. I don’t know what they’re putting in and nor should they be putting in anything into my vehicle,” he told Global News.

Krajnc was charged in October and her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 30.

TPP may allow for more dairy imports than first thought

The full text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership was released last week, exposing all of the fine print in a deal that took years for a dozen nations to agree to. While it still has to be ratified in all 12 countries, the deal is slated to open up Canada’s supply-managed dairy market. When the agreement was announced, the Canadian government said the TPP would allow access to 3.25 per cent of Canada’s dairy market. But after combing through the deal, agricultural economist Sylvain Charlebois says the fine print of the TPP means that as much as 4 per cent of the market would be opened up. According to a story on National Newswatch, he says the original 3.25 per cent figure doesn’t account for more import allowances of yogurt, ice cream and different types of cheese.